By Joan Fernandez
Stepping back into the workforce after seven years as a stay-at-home mom felt like entering a different country.
From prior jobs I knew the corporate world had its own language (“Add KPIs to BOAs’ SOPs ASAP”), its own customs (Back-to-back meetings! No time for the ladies’ room!), and its own culture (Everyone’s on a first-name basis.).
Yet, greater than any of these characteristics, I knew I was returning to a corporate world dominated by a male culture. On my first day, I remember pausing in front of the building’s rotating glass doors and taking a deep breath. “Here we go,” I thought and pushed the door forward.
Now, after thirty years navigating male-dominated industries (steel pipe distribution, electronic component manufacturing and financial services), I’ve become quite familiar with the dynamics of patriarchy and how to maneuver within it. Its pervasive invisible influence shapes interactions and authority, defining the roles within it, teaching participants how to survive and resisting those who oppose it.
So, when I decided to retire to become a novelist and began researching my topic, it was natural for me to recognize the subtle maneuvering my female protagonist navigated in a male-dominated society. Plus, at the turn of the twentieth century, when my story takes place, industrialization had begun to blur traditional class lines by the growth of a new middle class. It’s a moment of time rich with both conflict and opportunity for those striving to get ahead.
The perfect tension to showcase Jo van Gogh’s achievements.
My book tells the true story of Jo van Gogh, who defied societal expectations to champion her brother-in-law, Vincent van Gogh. When Jo’s husband, art dealer Theo, died just six months after Vincent’s suicide, Jo and her infant son inherited all of Vincent’s artwork. This inheritance—hundreds of unsold paintings by Vincent—was worthless, for Theo had sold only a handful of paintings before he died. Pressured to move to her parents’ home, Jo resisted tradition by opening a boarding house to raise her infant son alone and choosing to promote Vincent’s art herself.
I had to bear in mind that in the late nineteenth century her character would have grown up steeped in assumptions that women were second-class citizens, weaker in mind and body then men, even having a smaller brain. I knew that the small steps of agency Jo took early in her career may be regarded as too wimpy by today’s reader. So, it was important to give context and to show a character arc of actions (substantiated by research), that shows her gradually letting go of her upbringing to take more risk.
Right at the get-go, Jo’s involvement in her own inheritance is resisted. Even Vincent and Theo’s friends oppose her efforts, despite sharing her goal. Their animosity is a puzzle Jo will have to unravel again and again. I placed these scenes at the very beginning to ask a central narrative question: What happens in a patriarchy when people defy gender roles?
In a word: Resistance.
Frankly, it was fun (and cathartic!) to show Jo overcoming perceptions and obstacles. Here are few examples of how patriarchy shows up in the novel:
- First She’s a Flirt, Next Manipulative: When Jo expresses opinions and asks questions related to business, its misinterpreted as flirting, especially because its assumed that her father or brother should be conducting business, not her. The prevailing mindset simply couldn’t conceive of a woman possessing genuine business acumen. Yet, once she begins to see success, she’s accused of being manipulative and conniving.
- Bad Mother: Jo’s mother-in-law accuses Jo of not being a good mother since she can’t be a fulltime caregiver. Her best friend takes a different tack by assuming Jo will want to marry again and so steers her towards potential marriage partners.
- Bullied Son: I wrote a poignant scene with Jo’s young son, revealing his struggle with bullying. Patriarchy is learned male-to-male. I imagined that the absence of a father and being raised by a single mom would be seen as a disadvantage from his peers.
- Cultivated Male Sponsors and Alliances: Throughout Jo’s work she cultivated strategic alliances and male sponsors to help her. The burgeoning suffragette movement gave me an opening to show how important female friends were for Jo to loosen a self-image she’d internalized—the notion of intellectual inferiority, physical frailty, and dependence. There’s nothing like sisterhood to cultivate strength.
- Financial Success as Equalizer: And finally, I made sure to include neutral information about Jo’s financial success. Not only did she begin to sell Vincent’s paintings, but she was successful in running a boarding house on her own to earn income to raise her son. Financial success can be a powerful, neutral demonstration of capability.
These few examples show how patriarchy functions almost as an unseen character within the world of my novel. Beyond Jo’s desire to champion Vincent, an artist widely dismissed as untalented, the very fact that she was a woman pursuing this goal created a formidable challenge.
The combination of Vincent’s perceived lack of merit and Jo’s gender presented a seemingly insurmountable obstacle. Her story is an inspiring example of resilience, determination, and the quiet revolution that can be waged against deeply entrenched societal norms.
I’m hopeful that my book, Saving Vincent, will do its part to bring Jo out from the shadows to give her the recognition she’s earned.
Joan Fernandez is a novelist who brings to light courageous women’s brilliant deeds in history. She is a former senior marketing executive and general partner of the financial powerhouse Edward Jones. In 2018, she retired from a 30+ year career to be a full-time writer. Her short story, “A Parisian Daughter,” was published in the American Writing Award-winning anthology, “Feisty Deeds: Historical Fictions of Daring Women.” Joan’s debut novel, “Saving Vincent”, was also recognized by the American Writing Awards, winning their 2024 art award. Joan calls both St. Louis, Missouri and Sedona, Arizona, home. Learn more about her life and work at: www.joanfernandezauthor.com. Follow Joan on Facebook and Instagram.
ABOUT THE BOOK: In 1891, timid Jo van Gogh Bonger lives safely in the background of her art dealer husband Theo’s passion for selling the work of unknown artists, especially his ill-fated dead brother, Vincent. When Theo dies unexpectedly, Jo’s inheritance—hundreds of unsold paintings by Vincent—is worthless. Pressured to move to her parents’ home, Jo defies tradition, instead choosing to promote Vincent’s art herself. Her ingenuity and persistence draw the opposition of a powerful Parisian art dealer who vows to prevent her success. Will Jo overcome the forces working against her, and save herself along with Vincent?
